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Marye Anne Fox, UC San Diego Chancellor,
Alpha Phi Alpha Breakfast in celebration of the life of MLK, Jr. January 13, 2007
Thank you for your kind invitation to join you at this breakfast to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. I’m proud to say UC San Diego has been involved with this annual event since its inception 27 years ago. I’m also honored to be the co-grand marshal for today’s Martin Luther King Jr. parade, along with UCSD Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Joe Watson, one of San Diego’s most outstanding educators for more than 40 years.
Dr. King had a vision of equal opportunity and justice, and he was willing to pursue these freedoms despite intimidation and pressure to give up his fight. In his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Dr. Kingwrote, “For years now I have heard the word ‘Wait!’… Justice too long delayed is justice denied.”
 But instead of waiting for others to change, he dedicated his life to gaining freedom for all mankind, freedom to pursue their dreams, freedom to have equal justice, freedom to live in peace. And Dr. King led by example. Despite being surrounded by bigotry and hate, he taught that real change occurs through love, not hate and violence. He said, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” Achieving these goals is difficult, but not impossible, for, as Juan Williams has observed, “America is a land of people reinventing themselves.”
Dr. King challenged America’s character, challenged Americans to be better people, and propelled our society forward. He said, “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, popular, nor political; but because it is right.” Dr. King knew what was right – equality, equal access to the riches and opportunities America offers, including access to an excellent college education.
How hard the fight to gain equality in our society would be! But that didn’t stop him. If anything, it strengthened his resolve and his faith. He was a hard worker and encouraged others to persist and to work hard as well. He once said, “If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause and say, ‘Here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.”
The theme of this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast and parade is “Living the Dream, Let Freedom Ring.” In 21st century America, freedom is best achieved through education. One of our goals at UC San Diego is to increase the rate of college-bound students in California, with particular attention to “first-generation” college students. We have an opportunity and an obligation as higher education professionals to help educate and shape future leaders. Today, too few African American students choose to come to UC San Diego, despite aggressive efforts to attract them.
We’ve come a long way in the last few decades, but we still face formidable challenges, including need for stronger preparation for higher education for students, the limitations of Proposition 209, and the competition among universities for underrepresented students. UC San Diego admitted 358 African-American freshmen last fall, but only 48 chose to attend UCSD. We are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to recruit and retain a diverse section of students. We recently created an interdisciplinary African-American Studies minor. We also reach out to the community through presentations at local high school and middle schools, through our college-bound educational hour radio show for parents on KSON 1240 AM, and through participation in community events and college fairs.
UCSD is also helping the community by holding its fifth annual Martin Luther King Day of Service. Participants will work with two community groups, San Diego Youth and Community Services and Volunteer San Diego, to paint, refurbish and revitalize a local center for at-risk youth and will assemble care packages for needy youth.
Help us convince young African American students that they can live Dr. King’s dream. Help us convince them they can overcome any barrier. Juan Williams has told us that “barriers of perception are as real as any jail cell, imprisoning the human spirit.” Help us bring African American students to our campus. In February, we’ll hold a month-long celebration on campus for Black History Month. Everyone is welcome to take part in the UC San Diego celebration which will include film screenings, concerts, lectures and much more. Our calendar of events will be listed on our Web page, diversity.ucsd.edu
Diversity matters at UCSD. And thanks in part to Dr. King, diversity is broadly appreciated as a positive and necessary element for growth and learning for all our students. By sharing our ideas, our resources, ourselves, we can become a stronger and better society, one which cares for its fellow human beings and the world we live in. Only then will our children fulfill the dream of Dr. King of a “nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” |
